Does God HATE what you’re doing?
Going to church, giving time and money, attending special programs and services, helping others, even praying…
We usually think these acts are ways to honor God. But before we can honor God with anything, we must make Him Lord of everything!
If you don’t have a personal relationship with Christ, before you can please God, you must first accept Him. You must give your life to Him. When you ask Him to save you, He takes away your sin and makes you clean. Only after being saved can you begin to live the life that God has planned for you. Yes, you can help others and not be saved. Yes, you can love others and not be saved. But to please God, and to have the power of prayer, you must be saved.
The Bible says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
Being righteous doesn’t mean being better than anyone. It doesn’t mean that you never do anything wrong. It means you have been saved by Jesus and are made righteous through him. Philippians 3:9
Even after we are saved we can forget about our true purpose and motivation for our actions. Sometimes we get caught up in special church activities. Sometimes we just go through the motions. Sometimes we tithe on Sunday, and steal Monday thru Saturday! Sometimes we sing praises on Sunday but have nothing but negative things to say throughout the rest of the week. Maybe we beg God for healing while we are at church, and don’t pray again until the next church service.
I could easily say that God doesn’t like these actions. But truthfully, God HATES these actions. He is disgusted by them. Listen to these words He gives us in Isaiah Chapter 1.
“Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!”
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 28:9 that if anyone turns a deaf ear to God’s instruction, even their prayers are detestable.
But God doesn’t leave us without guidance. He tells us what we need to do.
“Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:16-17
First, we need to ask God for forgiveness. We need to be cleansed. We need to stop doing what we know is wrong. We need to learn to do what is right.
How do we learn to do right? We read and study the Bible. We ask God to give us wisdom and understanding. We don’t have to make all the right decisions on our own. The best, first decision you can make is to fear God. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs 9:10
In Micah 6:8 we get further instructions on how to do what is right and good. We are to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
God wants our lives to reflect His life. He wants us to reflect Him. The only way we can do that is to know Him. The only way to know Him is to read and study his word, and to pray continually to Him.
Then we will realize that knowing God, means loving others and doing good. Not for show, not for recognition, not because you feel obligated; but because Jesus did.
Jesus tells us in Mark Chapter 12 that loving God and loving people are the most important commandments. If we love God, we want to please Him. We don’t want Him to hide His eyes in disgust, but instead we want Him to rejoice over us.
“My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.”
Proverbs 23:15-16
